Part 68
Sitemap --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- More interesting items/ideas for a BioShock Rapture MMORPG --- --- --- --- -- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- - ' Part 68 ' --- --- --- --- Name-dropping is Very Easy. ' BaSx was a bit excessive with that -- Making references in text/recording costs virtually nothing compared to the work creating new terrain/major characters, etc. Watch : Audio Diary, Joe Blow : " Hey I was down at Neptune's Bounty the other day trying to buy fish for the Bistro, and you wont believe the crowd of cops around that place now. They're poking into every corner and prying up floorboards with crowbars. Ryan's security honcho Sullivan marches in and out of Fontaine Fisheries pretending he's Dick Tracy while there's almost nothing to be had at the Fish Market any more. I wish they would get this shit all done so's I could just go to Lotz & Sons and actually get the tuna we need for our customers in Olympus Heights. That Fontaine bastard had it coming, but why do the rest of us now have to suffer ?". It is SO easy to attach new content that way to the previous games, but alot harder to NOT to attach in the wrong way and pollute the game's Canon (or just plain overdo it). An important part of the Creation Community's process is to keep that kind of thing under control, as every-other ''fanboi will want THEIR story to be linked into the 'big names' and events from the original Solo games. Indirect references and information that fills in more of the culture/society/interconnections/events of Rapture hopefully would be done by large numbers of these both as paper documents/letters, newspapers/media, and the Audio Diaries. I could see a whole Hypernet diagram of interrelations and references to existing Assets to help prevent duplications and worse - conflicting information. Such a tool would help spot gaps in the sub-stories and be used to post raw data waiting for fleshing out and conversion to in-game Assets. Submissions would be subject to the usual vetting and comments process. 'Form letter' creation wizards with many style Templates would then assist in making the actual Assets (Heh, and then various 'Grungifications' which can be applied). Voice acting requires much added effort, so it may be allowable for Text type Audio Diaries to exist (Voice Synthesis is still rather cruse/primitive as yet for this kind of thing - so far). --- --- --- Coffee Pills 'for those On-the-Go' (Laxative pills for those who 'Want-to-Go' ??) Sinclair Pharmaceuticals sold them all. --- --- --- Alternates 'A Scene That Might Have Been : ' Sofia Lamb : "Place it Against your Head" - ears full of yellow goop .. : Delta with his helmet off, and the yellow pressurizing fluid leaking down his suit and onto the floor , hears a garbled "Place it against zzz... head" BANG... (Delta does exactly what he THOUGHT he heard commanded of him, quickly moves and presses the Lugar against her head and shoots Sofia - who's face would be priceless in her surprise) And Sofia Lamb's crazy murderous delusions cease to afflict Rapture from that point on. --- --- --- '''Progression of ADAM Disease : People did not Turn Insane Immediately : Different people would have had different tolerances to the ADAM's side-effects. They might have used them differently - in combinations/frequency/amounts/quality level(bootlegged stuff could be real bad...). Before the Civil War/Anarchist Uprising, fewer people likely used ADAM products, and less wrecklessly. Consider - if ADAM caused problems almost immediately, the public would have called it Poison and Ryan would have had a major way to attack Fontaine as the purveyor of that 'Poison', and shut down his whole business in the name of Public Health. The more that negative effects were visible, that many fewer people then would ever have tried it - remember it was being marketed/sold as if it was hairspray or any other common consumer item. Evidence that ADAM usage wasn't as widespread/endemic (allegedly used for several years before the Civil War period started). --- --- --- Plasmid 'Slots' - Justifying the Quick Change Plasmid System ? : Since we have the Plasmid switching/changing for our Super-Splicers (Jack, Delta, Sigma), which IS done on the same appendage -- IS it a structural variability (Incinerate! one minute, ElectroBolt the next -- but both structures in the body being present simultaneously)? -OR- Actual changes being made to shift all the tissue involved around for each Plasmid? (in seconds... rather unlikely, and this is supposed to be Sci-Fi not magic... But for the sake of gameplay they allowed the player to switch nearly instantly...) The Gene Bank machines might do something of the second change type (sucking the genetic pattern out of your Plasmid/Tonic "slots", or you body, or setting triggers to disable the different Plasmids' function) -OR- Alternately, removing/reverting the tissue structure a Plasmid uses (the first change type above). That Gene Bank (despite it seeming to take moments to us) could be a complex machine, with injectible chemicals/blood filtering, etc, etc... (external stuff and no mind-control 'will' involved) which took a bit of time to accomplish the 'Gene' modifications. In Real Rapture, there would be a Coin Slot for performing this service. But for a game mechanism where they didn't want to limit the Player, if they had no money, a coin slot is missing. I suppose adding a second tier to 'Plasmid' (and Tonic) operations - for the whole Plasmid/Tonic technology system --- there could be a SUPER (duper/deluxe/advanced) feature of the ADAM-type genetic modifications, which facilitates YOU (the ADAM user) changing them when desired (essentially a lesser Gene Bank mechanism being built into your body ...). It would manipulating/activating/deactivating the Plasmid 'slots', which itself would require some additional component integrated with the 'Plasmids' and 'Tonics'. Activation via 'will' or just some physical trigger to make the changes happen when YOU decide.... Via some physiological mechanism, which implements some new muscle/nerve path (added somewhere in your body), which you usually would not trigger by you existing reflexes/bodily actions - just like firing. (You don't want "Flame On!!!" when you hiccup...) This kind of thing is a Fancier, more complex systems of genetic modifications -- more expensive and requires more ADAM. Likely it was not commonly used by the population (in the game there are few multi-plasmid Splicers/Bosses), and it may have been found to have great risk. Later with ADAM shortages not that many Splicers could have too many Plasmids/Tonics. --- --- --- ADAM actually Stem Cells? -- Or Something That Makes Stem Cells Form ? : Was the SeaSlug venom (the bite on that guy whose hand was fixed) something (some active component of the venom) that changed some of The Guy's tissue INTO stem-cells so that his body could self-repair itself (using the Guys own DNA) ? The bite with raw ADAM-chemicals venom probably was less efficient (and slower), AND it had used The Guy's own DNA as the pattern for the repairs. Of course, that would be the starting point of the technology, where 'humanizing' the additional elements were added to the mix to speed up the 'fixing' or changes. Medical uses were probably what Tenenbaum had though of on first discovering its affect. Advances then allowed applying new genetic patterns to create whole new DNA/RNA patterned structures in the User (the whole system of Plasmids and Tonics and later interchangeable 'Slots'). Of course such changes eventually deteriorate, with the new patterns fighting the persons original DNA and the subsequent bodily disruptions/cancers/mental unhingings, etc... It is possible that in New Rapture, ADAM will be mandated to only be used for restoration and healing - where the pure DNA of an individual is used, so no conflicts (and their disastrous side-effects) will result. Of course there will be those who break this mandate (we can't have a BIOSHOCK game without at least some possibility of genetic super-powers, can we ????) --- --- --- Vita-Chamber - Why Were They Located All Over in Rapture ? : The Vita-Chambers could have been primarily a general therapy (revitalization) treatment for everyone (using some alternate technology than ADAM), and a For-Profit-Service system. That would explain them being all over. Perhaps the Vita-Chamber 'treatments' also alleviated many of the ADAM-use side-effects, a hope that Ryan may have had to eliminate them all and reverse what ADAM had done to his City's population. No coin slot maybe meant it used a Membership System (perhaps with some central computer data system to coordinate it 'per patient' - making used of previously acquired medical data for the 'patient'). The genetic Security system might also be centralized. That might have allowed one change at that central point to set them all to repair Delta/Sigma, as Eleanor and Tenenbaum allegedly did (and as we used them in the game). The Vita-Chambers were still experimental for some features -- maybe with lesser abilities/therapies already working (the machines WERE deployed...), but the 'Resurrection' feature may have been too new, and that was the one that Ryan restricted (and maybe activated for himself, for a crap-shoot's chance to cheat death at least once). If they weren't "general use" (were for Ryan Only), then why have them out in the open subject to tampering/destruction? Why have the fancy sign/styling? Hide em in a secure closet, if they were exclusive to Ryan's "select" few. Many of the Seedy places you can find them in the games were places Ryan wouldn't be found dead near. --- --- --- Creating the Creation Community : It would take a significant amount of organization to get the process in place (the process mentioned in detail above in the wall-of-text) -- I never said it would be easy. It would take some good organized people in the Creation Community (both Players and company people who know what they are doing) to keep it all on track and usable/working for the large numbers of Players needed to create the mass of content a MMORPG requires. I actually saw this kind of thing work in a small way years ago for the game Neverwinter Nights, with very little company support and quite feeble tools. This new paradigm is needed to get the current state of Online Games past the 'Company-Only' bottleneck that is giving us lamer and lamer product, as production costs increase (much of the MMORPG gaming has moved backwards from what we had 15 years ago). The whole Creation process is designed to 'vet' the submitted content, and bounce it back to the submitter at the earliest moment, so as NOT to waste other people's time. All the criteria for rejection would be well-spelled-out to minimize effort on explanations - which would always be given, and would be required of anyone who declared an Asset unfit). There will be differences of opinion, but solid definitions/policies can eliminate alot of arguments. 'Bugs' or 'issues' should be caught as SOON AS POSSIBLE before alot of time and effort is invested, eliminating waste when whatever-is-created has to be significantly redone. The Creation mechanism allows spreading the creation task out across a wide range of available skills, and allows Players weak in one area to use what is produced by others with their-particular-expertise. This is via the 'open source' style collaboration built into the system. The Tools will have to be good/easy to use, which is a whole costly achievement all by itself. The system would allow for many partially completed Assets to be accessed for 'finishing' by other Players. An example of this specialization is 'Arrangements' of existing Objects/Types of Objects into cohesive groups (a Scene Asset), which would take more imagination than technical skill to create, but which are endlessly used in the Game World. --- --- --- Sirens Alley's "Illegal" Plasmid Production Operation (Atlas's ???): Atlas was doing such operations to power up his 'army', but why (for this one) so far away from his positions in BS1, and he probably had better resources than shown to do it. It is also in BS2, 7+ years after Fontaine/Atlas was dead, so very possibly the 'Lab' had nothing to do with Fontaine/Atlas -- certainly at that later time. Given the ways those Accu-Vox things were strewn about, one found there could have 'walked' from anywhere in Rapture by then (maybe Splicers traded them around as a form of entertainment...). So the location was 'leftover', and only restarted when the new batch of Little Sisters came. The vats of slime (and those we've seen elsewhere) may have been making EVE ? Potentially, someone was tapping into the Little Sisters, who were still operating (probably something to do with that Orphanage nearby...) to get their ADAM (and Sofia Lamb would have wanted to maintain a monopoly on ADAM for herself, probably murder anyone she found collecting it). It really wasn't explained how many others legit and 'illegal' (bootleggers) were also in the ADAM business even before Fontaine's/Atlas's 'death'. How could it be illegal in Rapture, if Fontaine could 'legally' sell that poison ?? Counterfeiters of 'legal' brands, Fake or substandard(poisonous) ADAM products ?? There are limits to "Let the Buyer Beware" with an outraged group of 'customers' taking potentially violent action, from which the swindlers might try to maintain a covert operation. --- --- R. E. Lee Tobaccy Chaw - NOW with EVE !! : Tobacco Juice all over the place, as if the slime and puddles of toxic waste weren't bad enuf ... Sounds more like something they would have in Columbia - back when they still had cocaine in it. --- --- --- --- BaSx Madness (or lack of caring ?) : It became one of those cases of the game writers having too many things being shoe-horned into too little time (much like Booker/Comstock's ridiculously short 3 year rise to 'Prophethood' and to create Columbia). In Infinite BS's case its with some quite unfortunate selections of real 'history book' events to tie the stories fiction in between, and significant ignorance of how finance, politics, and government funding worked in that era. In BaSx (DLC) there is a whole flotilla of Rapture events stuffed into the already packed short timespan defined by the previous games around the time of the Kashmir Incident. If the "Fontaine Department Store" building complex was seized some short time after Fontaine's "death", it was likely to be searched (like Neptune's Bounty was), evidence impounded, criminal minions apprehended, closed up while the Council decided what to do -- locked up tight -- IF it was actually 'shutdown'. So in all cases no customers should be there - maybe the dead customers were leftover from a gunfight with Fontaine's minions still resisting the seizure, but this isnt Civil War Rapture yet, so bodies would not remain - particularly not those of customers). If this ' prison'preparation wasn't done, then why the long delay of putting the crimos into their 'prison' ? Having Elizabeth 'wake up two weeks later' after a shot of 'Truth Serum' is an obvious patch to adjust the event times to the various pieces of this hacked plot sequence. Two weeks equals dying of dehydration, unless you think Atlas maintained an Intensive Care Ward in Fontaine's ???? Anything that Knocks you out for Two weeks will do major damage one way or another. Burning with cigarettes (more typical thug method) just isn't PC I guess. Fink takes technology from Rapture, and Suchong sees this and tries to acquire knowledge back to solve his 'bonding' project. All in a few weeks, and then he is soon offed by a pissed off Big Daddy. I don't know what game writers know about developing working technology, but if they assume things happen that fast, then they don't know much. This is besides the point that "Protectors" aren't needed yet in Rapture. Simple equation: No Civil War, Then no piles of bodies or ADAM shortage. No piles of bodies unclaimed in the streets, Then no Gatherers. No Gatherers, Then No Protectors needed. No Protectors needed, Then no projects to develop them (yet). The whole Pair Bonding/Protection Bonding issue just infused a bigger mess than the Canon conflicts between BS1 and BS2. Twisting around the existing timeframe constraints was just strange, when it was allegedly inserted to 'fix' the original problem? More BaS (DLC) Madness (inattention to existing Canon) : Using Fontaine's as a prison - not the best structure for that purpose (and prisons are usually manned and rigorously controlled). Again, it would absolutely get a thorough searching IF it was going to become a prison. All the weapon stuff in plain sight (particularly ADAM related) - no excuse whatsoever to be there. Additional prisoners brought in - all searched/restrained - letting them have free run of the place is pretty weak - stupidity forced by the plot. Whenever food had stopped being brought in (so Atlas can dole it out to get 'support'), it must've been very recent - it doesn't take too long to starve to death (if the supply was still in progress, then why no guards? Why hungry splicers? )... The illogic goes on and on. Sunk to 'dispose' of Fontaine's thugs ?? Real sinking ??? ... the Utilities get severed - it becomes a cold dark watery tomb - no power/light, no air, no heat, no transport (so the whole "sinking" thing really makes no sense with what is shown - just "sounded good" to the writers...). If Ryan wanted to get rid of these criminals, why not just flood the place and be done with it? Sink it into the Abyss 'never to be seen again' ... Though that is a waste of a perfectly good building. Obviously he isn't doing that. Hints that the 'Atlas' stuff was happening before Fontaine's 'death' ?? It might makes sense with Fontaine preparing his Atlas position, though McDonagh comments 'nobody heard of Atlas before Kashmir', but that's non-conclusive (as just about ALL the Audio Diaries are - many just vague statements and opinions). For how long could Fontaine (with a new face) go to proselytize to poor people in his Poor Houses and avoid being Fontaine 'the boss' to his criminal minions before the Shootout Event ? He cant chance the truth about his faked death getting out. Why should any of the thugs in Fontaine's Mall follow him ? They don't know he's Fontaine, and even if they did he doesnt have the upper hand any more. Half-crazed Splicers - within a few days someone would say "Who the hell Are YOU to tell me what to do ?", and then they would kill him (Thugs will be Thugs, and Too many Rats in Too small a cage kill each other).. The Little Sister and Big Daddy aspect doesn't fit overly well, since this "sinking" happened (however long) before Kashmir. I don't recall Eleanor/Delta factually being declared the 'first' pairing. In any case, the whole Protector (to protect menaced Gatherers) existence also is far too early since the Civil War had not started yet (that's the BS2 conflict). There were no piles of bodies left abandoned in the streets at that point to have their ADAM 'gathered' by specially trained Little Sisters. "Riots" before Kashmir we (pre-DLC) see/hear no sign of anything significant - the "Rapture's Troubles Are Over Party" conflicts with that strongly. Newspapers would be screaming stories about any massacres - they weren't. Cohen knowing where Sally is (??) THAT'S a whole 'nuther set of weirdness being involved (why should Cohen know the details of an operational "Gatherer" Little Sister (and which one is which - that particular one being at that particular place - AND WHY EVEN INSIDE 'SUNK' FONTAINE'S ???????). If he had some nefarious business dealing with kidnapping children, that's one thing, but then him tracking what happened to them after they were processed to be Gatherers ?? Why should he know that ? and Where they were currently assigned ? So its all rather CONTRIVED for some "neat" scenes/plot sequence they thought up and strung together. Atlas supposedly was rabble rousing in the interim and was caught and THEN was put into the prison? For Causing Riots, destruction, murders? Wouldn't his own secure jail cell in Persephone make alot of sense? No lets let him loose in an unsupervised prison full of weapons and Plasmids - that's MUCH better... Suchong the Universal Genius. Besides being scatalogical, is likewise all compressed into too short a time even to do one project, let alone many. Suddenly he is a quantum physicist and experimental scientist and builds his own Lutece device in a matter of weeks (along with everything else - BD bonding, Drinkable Plasmids, Tears, Messing with Fink, etc...) His working on brilliant advanced genetic manipulation wasn't enough. Thugs threatening and doing 'Lobotomies' (to tie in to Infinite BS Elizabeth's past) -- GIMME A BREAK. Fontaine waiting years to have the 'Ace in the Hole' (WYK) in his own hands ??? Makes him stupider than they tried to portray Ryan previously. The whole Fink looking into Rapture, developing stuff (by sight alone it seems) which he neither has the tools/materials/working knowledge for - and for dozens of things he THEN proceeds to turn into consumer-grade products. Suchong then does the reverse. And that SONGBIRD IS A CLONED BIG DADDY !!!! Gad. We might as well have seen Ryan discover the Lutece Particle in Fontaine's, and use that technology to take Rapture into Orbit. I've said the DLC story seems to have been thrown together on the back of a Denny's Napkin. It seriously seems more and more to have been the case. Just a messy knot of tied together story aspects of the previous games. DLC usually ARE secondary priorities with limited time/budget (they had to 'make good' for those 'Season Passes' they sold), but still no excuse - creating things with just a little more thought could have made BaSx less ridiculous and match the existing Canon better. --- --- --- . .